Even if Dylan Cease leaves San Diego, Padres fans already win with latest update

All signs point to Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease departing San Diego in free agency, but fans should rejoice after the latest update on the 29-year-old right-hander. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com wrote that he expects almost every big-market to be in on Cease, except for two teams that tend to be massive spenders.

“The list of teams that could pursue Cease is lengthy; after all, nearly every club could use another solid starter in its rotation,” wrote Feinsand. “Two teams unlikely to be in the mix are the Dodgers and Yankees, who have a plethora of starters and will likely focus their attention elsewhere, but other big-market teams could make a push for Cease.”

Yes, you read that correctly — the Los Angeles Dodgers appear to be out on Cease, as they plan to address other needs. Their rotation already consists of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow, so it makes complete sense to prioritize other position groups (such as the bullpen). Still, it’s good to know that the Dodgers aren’t frontrunners for literally every free agent.

The Dodgers appear to be putting their utmost effort into the Kyle Tucker sweepstakes, as the outfielder, and top free agent on the market, is set to land an eight-to-ten year contract worth more than $40 million in AAV.

2025 was a down year for Cease by his standards, as he posted a 4.55 ERA over the course of 168 innings pitched. However, he finished sixth in the league in strikeouts with 215, doing so with an upper-90s mph fastball combined with some of the league's nastiest breaking pitches. This alone makes him a frontline starting pitcher, and teams should be willing to meet his $26 million market value for 2026.

While this isn’t really news about the Padres making a move to re-sign the right-hander, it’s great to hear that Dylan Cease isn’t expected to be coaxed up Interstate-5 to the Padres arch rival in the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

The winter meetings will be very interesting for Cease as he looks to land a long-term contract elsewhere.